Every time you buy into Oregon, Dan Lanning gives you a reason not to

From news to sports, we help you stay connected to the world around you. www.usatoday.com By Matt Hayes , 3 hours ago This is why no one takes Oregon seriously, why the very last thing you can do is believe this time is any different. The trust is gone, officially. Forget about the quarterback with the Heisman Trophy credentials. Or the experienced roster and elite skill players and a defensive line full of potential NFL draft picks. Ducks coach Dan Lanning isn't building Georgia of the West. He has built a program you can't trust in games that matter. 'There's a lot to fix, a lot to clean up,' Lanning said after Oregon escaped — again — in a season-opener against Boise State. Pac-12's best shot: Oregon football isn't a fraud. Boise State is just that good Big Red blues: Nebraska rebuild under Matt Rhule looks stuck in neutral despite Ohio win A Boise State program that, despite its giant-killer reputation and big-game moxie, isn't better than Oregon at any position on the field — yet had the ball with two minutes to play and a chance to win the game. The same Boise State that two years ago arrived in Eugene for the season opener, and Oregon needed a punt return for a touchdown, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a last-second field goal to win the game. That was also the season where Oregon won the Big Ten with a little help from the football gods (see: Ohio State gagged in The Game), and entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 overall seed. Then lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal by a gazillion points. Like it lost to Indiana in the CFP semifinals last year by a gazillion points. Like it lost those big games to bitter rival Washington — you know, the games that essentially got Kalen DeBoer the Alabama job Like it lost to Georgia by a gazillion points in a season opener, and blew a late lead against a decent Oregon State team in the Civil War. That's right, I called it the Civil War. 'Boise State did a great job, and we didn't,' Lanning said. But why? It's not like a majority of the Oregon team, which has stayed intact for the most part over the previous two seasons, didn't know what Boise State is. What it did in 2024. But it's not like Oregon didn't know what Indiana was in last year's CFP, after losing to the Hoosiers in Eugene earlier in the year. It's not like Oregon didn't know what Washington was in the rematch in 2023, where the Ducks could've eventually been the team playing for a national title instead of the Huskies. There's just something about this team under Lanning, who has done everything right since arriving in Eugene — except winning games that matter. He has recruited at an elite level, and developed players and NFL draft picks. But like it or not, Oregon has a history under Lanning of wilting when the spotlight is bright. It took a career-best game from quarterback Dante Moore — and some fortunate officiating — to beat Boise State this time around. Do you trust Oregon later this month at USC? Do you trust the Ducks in early November at Ohio State, which Oregon beat under Lanning in 2024 — but only after Lanning manipulated the rule book by using 12 players on the field to run precious time off the clock in the final seconds. A week later, the NCAA made a rule to eliminate the 'Lanning loophole.' Do you trust Oregon against Michigan in mid-November, or against Washington in the regular season finale? Or (maybe) the Big Ten championship game, or the CFP? Oregon's roster is as good as any team in college football, and the Ducks play in one of the most difficult home environments in college football. But when the spotlight arrives, how will this team respond? It starts with Lanning's backhanded compliment — Boise State played well, Oregon didn't — for the latest opponent to make Oregon look bad in a game that matters. 'We've got to go figure out how to play cleaner as a team,' Lanning said. Look, it's one game and the greatest improvement typically comes from Week 1 to Week 2. Oregon will travel to Oklahoma State next week, and drill the Cowboys and we'll once again be back on the bandwagon. But why? Oregon has shown over and over who it is in spotlight games. It's time to believe it. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville .It's time to believe it. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Every time you buy into Oregon, Dan Lanning gives you a reason not to | Opinion partner publisher · 2.0M followers Last week's high school football showdowns were huge, and this week's might be even bigger. Headlined by a blockbuster matchup that pits No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas against a surging sixth-ranked Columbus team and its standout star A'mir Sears, this week's slate also includes an all-Texas game between No. 16 Allen and DeSoto and the first ever meeting of North Carolina powerhouses No. 24 Hough and Providence Day. Here are the final high school football scores for USA TODAY Sports Super 25 teams in Week 3: 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 9/4 : St. Thomas Aquinas 31, Columbus (FL) 24 - FINAL 2. IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) 9/5 : IMG 41, St. Louis (HI) 0 - FINAL 3. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD) 9/4 : St. Frances Academy 38, Vero Beach (FL) 6 - FINAL 4. Buford (GA) 9/4 : Buford 41, Mallard Creek 7 - FINAL 5. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) 9/4 : Santa Margarita 55, Highland (CA) 7 - FINAL 6. Columbus (Miami, FL) 9/4 : St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) 31, Columbus 24 - FINAL 7. Centennial (Corona, CA) Idle 8. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) 9/4: Bishop Gorman 38, Lone Peak (UT) 14 partner publisher · 2.0M followers It was 8:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night and 22-year-old Fraser Bohm had just accidentally killed four sorority sisters. Bohm was speeding in his BMW on Dead Man's Curve, a notorious stretch of Southern California's Pacific Coast Highway. Prosecutors say Bohm was driving 104 mph in a 45 mph zone when he lost control and slammed into parked cars, which then barreled into the sorority sisters as they stood on a sidewalk on Oct. 17, 2023. The crash killed Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, all seniors at Pepperdine University in Malibu and members of the Alpha Phi sorority. "I feel awful," Bohm told investigating officers, according to a transcript obtained by USA TODAY. "Trust me, I'm so (expletive) up." Bohm did not set out to kill the young women that terrible night, but he's being tried on four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter. His trial begins Dec. 1. Prosecutors argue Bohm understood that driving so fast could have deadly consequences and did it anyway, showing "a reckless disregard for life." Bohm's attorneys say a road rage driver clipped him just before the accident and point to his lack of criminal record partner publisher · 2.0M followers Minneapolis residents are waiting for answers after a gunman opened fire in a high-rise apartment building , leading to a gunfight with police the afternoon of Sept. 2. Three people, including the suspect, were killed. A total of six others were injured, including three police officers. Two officers and three other people were hit with gunfire and a third officer had unspecified injuries, authorities said. The shooting unfolded at about 4:36 p.m., according to Minneapolis Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson, who said officers began responding to an active shooting situation after multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire in the downtown building. The police officers who responded were hailed for putting themselves in harm's way to help people escape. "But for their heroic work the death toll would be far higher," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. Here's what we know about the Minneapolis shooting: What happened in Minneapolis apartment building shooting? The suspect in the shooting began firing outside the apartment building, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans told reporters Sept. 3. According to Evans, the suspect was outside the building doing a "custody exchange" of his child with a woman believed to be the mother. He shot the woman partner publisher · 2.0M followers The U.S. women are starting the road to the Los Angeles Olympics in a tough spot. The Americans drew the first subdivision in qualifying , where scores tend to be the lowest, at the upcoming world gymnastics championships. They also finish their Oct. 18 qualifying session on balance beam, the event where nerves are most likely to be a factor. This doesn't mean the U.S. women can't make the podium, where the top three teams automatically qualify for LA28. Scores start over after qualifying, and the Americans have won every team title going back to the 2011 world championships. They also could be bringing two Olympic gold medalists in Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey , with the worlds team to be named after a selection camp Sept. 30-Oct. 1. But with scores typically rising as qualifying goes on, being in the first subdivision could affect where the U.S. women start in the team final and how many U.S. women make event finals. Russia, expected to be the Americans' biggest competition for gold, is in the eighth of 10 subdivisions at its first worlds with a full team since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Olympic silver medalist Italy is in partner publisher · 2.0M followers Hurricane Lowell continued its trek near the Hawaiian Islands on Saturday, Sept. 5. The storm, a Category 4 with sustained 130 mph winds, is forecast to approach the islands Monday night, Labor Day. The center of the hurricane is expected to move just west of the main Hawaiian Islands. The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for Kauai County and a hurricane watch for portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument late Saturday. The storm, now moving west-northwest at just 5 mph, is forecast to turn northward to north-northeastward with an increase in forward speed Sunday and Monday, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest update. Lowell is expected to be "near major hurricane strength when it makes its closest approach to the Hawaiian Islands," the hurricane center said. A major hurricane has winds of at least 111 mph; Category 3, 4 and 5 storms are classified as major hurricanes. "Any deviation eastward from its forecast track could bring more severe wind impacts, especially to Kauai County," the National Weather Service in Honolulu said. Where is Hurricane Lowell now? As of 5 p.m. Hawaii time on Sept. 5, the center of Lowell was about 630 miles south-southwest partner publisher · 2.0M followers GLENCOE — Susan Moore football player Lucas Beard was taken from the Glencoe football field in a medical helicopter on Friday, Sept. 4. Beard went down on the field following the final play of the first half with an undetermined injury. Quickly, trainers from both teams and EMTs at the game tended to Beard. A backboard was brought out, but Beard stayed on the ground for around 30 minutes while medics worked around him. One helper was seen holding Beard's neck area soon after he went down. After an ambulance arrived, the medical helicopter took Beard to a Birmingham hospital, later announced to be UAB after a reroute from Children's Hospital. Birmingham is about an hour drive from Glencoe, but was about 20 minutes through the air. Following the 20-minute halftime break, in which both bands took the field, Susan Moore head coach Wes Patterson told The Gadsden Times he was told Beard had landed in Birmingham and had feeling in his fingers and toes when he left Glencoe. "I think a little bit of it was exhaustion. We know he has a concussion but he had movement in all extremities," Patterson said after the game. "He was better when partner publisher · 2.0M followers A Pittsburgh attorney accused of concealing evidence related to an alleged cocaine trafficking ring among fraternity brothers at Pennsylvania State University will be tried in county court. Paul Robinson appeared in court along with former Penn State students, where preliminary hearings took place ahead of a Centre County judge ruling that Robinson and five former students would have their cases tried in county court. Those hearings came after an investigation into alleged drug trafficking primarily at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses at Penn State during 2023 and 2024. In August, 14 people were charged in connection to the operation, with attorney Paul Robinson being the only non-student to face charges. During a Sept. 2 hearing, a former student and fraternity brother of Thomas Robinson, Paul Robinson's son and one of the alleged leaders of the drug trafficking operation who was previously charged with drug dealing in December 2024, testified that the elder Robinson had helped him move and conceal a safe suspected of containing cocaine. Here's what to know. Former student says Pittsburgh attorney helped retrieve, hide safe in drug trafficking ring Ryan Matson, a former Penn State student and member of Delta Upsilon, said during a partner publisher · 2.0M followers A six-figure salary may sound comfortable, but a new analysis suggests many Pennsylvanians need far more than that to truly get ahead. A recent study from SmartAsset examined how much income Americans need to "live comfortably" in each state in 2026. Using data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator, researchers estimated the income required to cover basic necessities and then applied the popular 50/30/20 budgeting rule. Under that framework, 50% of income goes toward needs such as housing and utilities, 30% is reserved for discretionary spending and 20% is dedicated to savings and investments. According to the study, a single adult in Pennsylvania needs an annual salary of $97,011 to live comfortably in 2026. For a family of four with two working adults and two children, that number jumps to $247,936. The findings highlight the growing gap between incomes and the rising cost of everyday expenses. SmartAsset noted that housing, groceries, transportation and other essential costs continue to put pressure on household budgets across the country. The report found that a single adult now needs at least $80,000 annually to live comfortably in every state, while families of four require more than $200,000 in 40 states. Pennsylvania partner publisher · 2.0M followers A key five-star prospect and a third-teamer on USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America team was ejected Friday night, Sept. 4. Seneca Driver, who is off to a tear this season with six receiving touchdowns and a pick on the defensive side, was ejected from Boyle County's Week 3 clash against Lexington Catholic. According to reporting from Prep Redzone KY's Barkley Truax, Driver was tossed from the game after his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty midway through the second quarter. Development: Five-star TE and Oklahoma football commit Seneca Driver has been thrown out of the football game. — Barkley Truax (@BarkleyTruax) September 5, 2026 The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Driver was coming off a breakout junior season in which he contributed as a receiver, short-yardage running back, and defensive playmaker. He helped lead Boyle County to a Class 4A state championship in 2025 and was named the championship game's MVP. He finished with 875 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, adding three rushing scores, 67 tackles, 3 sacks, and 5 interceptions in 15 games. Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and partner publisher · 2.0M followers When you think of a Florida vacation, do images of theme parks or overly packed beaches come to mind? Not me. When I imagine a prime vacation in the Sunshine State, my mind immediately goes to Florida's luxury resorts, where beachside charm and historic hotels offer a host of amenities to travelers looking to slow down and live the quintessential Florida lifestyle. From adorable boutique resorts that offer a taste of Central Florida to beachside escapes up and down the coast, the best luxury resorts in Florida offer something for every type of traveler, from those going solo, traveling with friends, a couple's getaway , and even families with kids in tow. SUNSHINE STATE: The most dreamy Florida beach resorts for families Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Miami Beach Right in the heart of Miami Beach's Art Deco District is the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach . The oceanfront resort offers everything from a fantastic spa and dining by José Andrés Group to beach service and curated experiences for families (hello, culinary tours of Little Havana and private adventures through the Everglades). And after a day of fun, you can rest your head in one of the spacious accommodations, which feature marble bathrooms with